👀 POV 🔬

📝 Infos

  • 🥼 - Experimental system for behavioral study
  • 🧒 – Target audience: children
  • 🎓 – University research project
  • 🧠 – Empathy and spatial perspective taking
  • 🤝 - Collaboration with the DIPHE unit of the University of Lyon 2
  • 📚 – Inspired by Di Tore (2014) and the works of Jean Piaget
  • ⚙️ – Unity, C#
  • 📱 - 🍎 iPad

📚 Context

In collaboration with the DIPHE unit of the University of Lyon 2, I developed a support for their research on empathy and perspective-taking in children.

These works aim to highlight the correlation between the ability to put oneself in the shoes of others emotionally, and the ability to put oneself in the shoes of others spatially.

Authors in this field have observed a notable difference between children with behavioral disorders and others.

🔬 The system

It takes the form of a video game structured in 18 levels organized by difficulty blocks. Players/children will have to perform different tasks to test different forms of perspective taking.

  • Levels 1–6: select the character corresponding to the displayed perspective
  • Levels 7–12: identify the correct perspective among multiple options
  • Levels 13–18: locate the region occupied by the character

🔁 Game Loop

  • Initial map and interface loading
  • Name and age input (immediate save)
  • Sequential level loading with introduction screen
  • Immediate action recording
  • Linear progression to the end screen

📝 Architecture designed to ensure data integrity, even in the event of a sudden application shutdown.

🌍 Environement

  • Buildings and simple volumes
  • Distinctive visual elements to facilitate orientation
  • Architecture designed to be modular in difficulty (progressive removal of landmarks)
Game environment scheme

Game environment scheme

Game environment implementation in Unity

Game environment implementation in Unity

🧩 Interface

Interface designed to be minimalistic and suitable for a very young audience.

  • 👁️ Visibility: large and strongly contrasting elements
  • 🧠 Understanding: icons and color codes prioritized
  • 🛡️ Security: systematic confirmation of answers

⚙️ Game Manager

Main functions:

  • Dynamic camera management (first-person / third-person)
  • Input management (rotation, selection, validation)
  • Displaying instructions and level information
  • Continuous recording of session data
  • Configuration in ScriptableObjects
First person point of view

First person point of view

Third person point of view

Third person point of view

Level configuration scriptable object

Level configuration scriptable object

Layer scene which define level actors transformations

Layer scene which define level actors transformations

🤝 Conclusion

POV is just an additional example of how video games can be a true tool for experimentation. Transforming a scientific problem into a playable experience allowed us to design a device that is both accessible to children and sufficiently rigorous for research. This project highlights the potential of the gaming medium when used as a bridge between science, design, and development.